The amount of foreign investment in actual use in Shanxi province in 2012, rose 20.79 percent to $2.5 billion worth, according to the Shanxi provincial statistics bureau, which published a report on Feb 4. This is the result of an ever-improving investment environment in the province as well as local government achievements in industrial restructuring and optimization.

Sino-foreign joint ventures were the main source of the outside investment, with contracts on 18 projects valued at more than $240 million, for the year, and accounting for 67.43 percent of the total foreign direct investment. The projects mainly concerned manufacturing, which were valued at $174 million for the year, or 48.92 percent of direct investment. The service industry also saw some slight improvements.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw